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Messenger - February 23, 2024

We illuminate our community with God’s grace as we lovingly accept, listen to, and serve all in the Spirit of Jesus.

GUEST BLOG -- CAROL ZARS

Teach Us to Pray

Wanting to pray effectively is not a new concept. Prayer has been around as long as, well as long as God. Abraham prayed, Moses prayed, David prayed, and those are just some of the big names. None of them were perfect, they were all flawed in some way, but they prayed, because they knew there was a higher power they could turn to.

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UPCOMING WORSHIP SERVICES

SUNDAY SERVICES TAKE PLACE IN-PERSON & ONLINE AT 9:00 AM

Worship Service airs live on our Website , YouTube  and  Facebook at 9 am.

Go to the Worship Page on our Website to find more information about future services.

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT, FEBRUARY 25, 2024

"Father Forgive" - Luke 23:32-38 NRSV


Praying for forgiveness is tough. Jesus teaches a lot about forgiveness and its importance in our lives. In one of the most harrowing moments of his life, when he is on the cross, Jesus offers us one last lesson in prayer: how to pray for forgiveness. Join Pastor Rob Hamilton as we explore prayers of forgiveness and their life-giving impact when we pray them. 

Click for this Sunday's Bulletin


Our 40-year old elevator is out of order. We are waiting on parts to complete the repair and it most likely won't be repaired by Sunday.  

We are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. Please consider watching our livestream if this prevents you from attending. We will provide updates as they become available.


EVENTS AND SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Communications Submissions Form

Submit information each week for the Messenger and Bulletin Announcements by WEDNESDAY AT 12 pm for inclusion in these communications. Please use above button or click here for the COMMUNICATIONS submission form -- all requests for communicating an event should be made here, including getting items on the calendar and reserving rooms for your eventThis form can also be found on the sign-ups page on our website. If you cannot use the submission form please send them to communications@genevaumc.org. Information sent to this email goes to Carolyn, Lorie and Kimberley, as does the submission form. 

THE FEBRUARY CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING IS NEXT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27

 AT 7 PM




  • We will meet in the Parlor AND have a Zoom option
  • The Agenda for the meeting is in our Document Center.
  • Zoom link
  • Meeting ID: 835 6262 6225   Passcode: 876867

MEN'S CLUB PLANNING MEETING THIS SUNDAY



WHAT: Meeting to plan for our hosting of PIC United Methodist Men's Annual Lenten Meeting -- All men are invited to attend after Sunday Service.

WHEN: This Sunday, February 25 at 10:15 am

WHERE: Library

PLEASE JOIN US:

United Women in Faith Annual Cluster Luncheon

Baker Memorial UMC

307 Cedar Ave, St. Charles

 

"Hope Lives Here,"-- Speaker: Simone Halpin

Co-founder and Executive Director of Naomi's House

 

March 9, 2024

Registration 11:00am, Lunch at 11:30am

They will be collecting a free will offering for Naomi's House or you could bring Amazon gift cards. 

 

RSVP on sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall or contact Joan Hansen (630) 251-4628 by February 29.  

EASTER GARDEN 2024

The Worship Arts Committee invites your participation in expressing the joy of the resurrection with flowers placed in our sanctuary on Easter Sunday, March 31. In addition to the order form in this Sunday's Bulletin, you can use this online order form to help us purchase the Spring flowers that will decorate the church Easter Sunday. Please place your orders by March 11, 2024.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Would your child like to be an Acolyte?


We will soon be starting up the Acolytes for our 9 AM, worship service in the near future.  We would like to invite our children in grades third through eighth, to volunteer to help us out each Sunday.  


The job of the Acolyte is to light the two candles at the beginning of the service during the prelude, and then extinguish them during the last hymn of the service.  It is a very important and sacred part of our service, and has always has been a tradition in our church to have one or two young people participate. 

If you think your child would be interested in helping to be an Acolyte, please let me know. 


I will  be in the Fellowship hall the next two Sundays, after the church service, if you would like to talk with me in person. You can also talk with Dr. Greg Coates, Minister of Next Gen on Sunday mornings during Sunday school or contact him via his email: greg@genevaumc.org


Thank you,

Christine Donovan

ckd5@sbcglobal.net

(630)698-0021

Join other Tri-City Methodist Families

 This Spring at Baker Memorial UMC


This year's Road to Easter event will be hosted at Baker Memorial UMC in St. Charles on March 29, 2024 from 10:30-12 pm in Wiley Hall and on the outside lawn. The event will include a combination of faith, food, and fun. Possible activities might include a science experiment, craft/take home craft, fun lesson, book reading, egg hunt on lawn with scavenger hunt (weather permitting), and will conclude with a free lunch of sandwiches. Children and teens of all ages are invited, along with their families. Details and Registration here

IN THE CHURCH

Yoga and/or Crystal Bowls Mediation

March 28, 2024 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

$20.00 registration (break week)


Kathleen will be joining Colleen’s Thursday morning yoga class to offer a sound meditation, an experience where you’re immersed in deep sound vibrations creating a greater sense of deep relaxation. If you would prefer

to just come for the sound meditation, please join us for the last 30 minutes of class. You will need a yoga mat and blanket.


Please contact Colleen for registration information or any questions at yogafas@icloud.com or

(630)715-9012.

UMCG Memorial Giving



Memorial gifts, given in remembrance of a loved one or in honor of someone living, come in two types. Designated gifts are directed to a specific church fund, program, or special project as requested by the donor or family. Undesignated gifts are allocated for items not covered in the church budget. These are requested by staff or committee members to enhance the ministries of the church.


In recent years, your Undesignated gifts have enabled UMCG to acquire a range of items, including a conference table and chairs, handicap parking signs, reusable welcome bags, a sofa, reupholstered chairs, baptism books, and melamine dishes, along with items used in worship.


The UMCG Memorial Committee would like to thank all those who have generously given in memory and in honor of loved ones. Your contributions, welcome at any time, truly make a difference in the life of our church! For further information or if you have an idea or project that might benefit from memorial funds, please contact Suzanne Zefron.

MEN’S EARLY BIRD FELLOWSHIP NEW STUDY

“THE THIRD DAY-LIVING THE RESURRECTION” BY TOM BERLIN

BEGINNING FEBRUARY 29


From the Introduction:

“This is a book about how the resurrection of Jesus Christ profoundly changed the lives of those who followed him and how it can transform ours as well. The first disciples were blown off course when Jesus was crucified. Some thought their journey had ended. Others went back to their old lives, no longer able to navigate in the places Jesus had taken them. The experience of the Resurrection is what put them back on course. It reoriented their lives and enabled them to go places and do things they never imagined.”


Early Bird Men’s Fellowship will begin a new study of “The Third Day-Living the Resurrection” by Tom Berlin. The study will begin Thursday, February 29 and the book is available through Amazon and others. EBMF meets each Thursday at 7:00 am at the Colonial Café in St. Charles at Tyler and East Main Street (Rt. 64). After discussion, breakfast is ordered and they finish about 8:30 am. Please contact Jim McConnell for further information at mcjamesc@aol.com or call 630-715-3480. Join us for fellowship, discussion, and food!

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

UMCG's 2024 Scholarship information and application is now available on the church website, click button to right.


Scholarship Page

Deadline is May 3, 2024

MISSIONS/CHURCH IN SOCIETY

FEBRUARY'S FOOD PANTRY NEEDS ARE:


  • boxed meals(like Hamburger Helper)
  • dry boxed potatoes
  • canned beans (not green or black)
  • canned fruit
  • canned ravioli or SpaghettiO’s
  • pasta sauce

CREATION CARE

BRING US YOUR BREAD TAGS TO KEEP THEM FROM THE LANDFILL AND ALSO RAISE MONEY FOR THOSE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED


Bread tags are those small single use square plastic holders that come in a variety of colors that we find as closures for baked goods and produce at our local grocery stores. Although they have a purpose, it is short lived and are then thrown away. 


In some countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand these one-time use throwaway tags are being replaced by more earth friendly compostable cardboard ones that can be recycled easily. But here in the U.S. we mostly still have plastic tags to use and they are not easy to recycle. Their size and shape make them too small for curbside recycling, and when mixed with other materials they get stuck in sorting machines. So what can you do to be responsible and make sure they do not end up in our landfills or pollute our land and waters?  


Instead of throwing them away, collect your tags from home, work and school and then bring them here to UMCG and place in one of the collection jars found in the Donation Station, Fellowship Hall (by the Creation Care board) and the kitchen. The tags are then taken to SCARCE who donates them to Danielle Cares for Chairs, a non-for profit organization located in Indiana that recycles the tags and uses the proceeds to buy wheel chairs for those in need.


In 2023, Danielle collected close to 1,000 pounds of bread tags. That is over 1.2 MILLION bread tags that were saved from our landfills and instead became new products such as prosthetics, furniture and worktops.  


Learn more about Danielle Cares for Chairs on her Facebook page and also at daniellecaresforch.wixsite.com

NEWS FROM THE UMC COMMUNITY

Prairie Central eNews is here.

The NIC weekly eNews is here.

Download the NIC Reporter here.

ACCESS THE UMCG DOCUMENT CENTER

UMCG has a hidden page on the website for our church family to access called the Document Center. This includes our committee roster, communications submission forms and in the future, our committee agendas, reports and minutes.
211 Hamilton Street
Geneva, IL 60134
Phone: (630) 232-7120
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